Moonlight
by 125389
Summary: There's nothing worse than all work and no play. Rosette and co. are on the verge of collapse, but Satella has the perfect pick-me-up: a Halloween party. While the short notice leaves everyone scrambling for outfits, hearts and thoughts are racing even faster. After all, a costume can only conceal so much. C&R


A/N: Boo! Welcome to my first fic! I recently reread the Chrono Crusade manga after initially reading it over 10 yrs ago and am in love all over again. Why you gotta do us like that, Daisuke Moriyama? ;_; I'm super open to con crit, so if there's any errors or confusion, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks a bunch for reading, and happy Halloween!

* * *

 **Moonlight**

"Uuugghhh, I'm beat!"

Three other voices murmured their agreement with the sister as they all filed into the motel room. Any onlooker would've thought their group was a parody of character classes: a nun, a demon, a witch, and an apostle. Yet here they all were in New Jersey currently and exhausted too.

Rosette plopped herself onto a bed and kicked her boots off, flexing her toes for a few moments before pulling her stockings off. She dropped backwards thinking she was good to lie down before clicking her tongue in irritation and propping herself back up temporarily to remove her veil. The rest of the group followed suit: shoes, hats, socks, and various other accessories came off until they all sat there silently, appreciating the respite from the noise and chaos that had been piling up on them as of late. Satella glanced over to the other bed where Chrono sat absentmindedly rubbing his shoulder and Rosette laid blinking slowly at the ceiling.

"Aw Chrono, you always go to the same bed as Rosette!"

Caught off guard by the suddenness of her statement, he shifted awkwardly. "Well I've known her for the longest."

"Don't you wanna get to know other people?" Satella retorted in a teasing voice. "Hey Rosette, I'll trade you Azmaria for Chrono! An angel for your demon!"

Rosette snorted and turned to grimace at Satella. "Well if you're all done with that, have we decided who's going to shower first because if we haven't, then I'm going."

Without waiting for anyone to speak up, Rosette rolled out of bed and crossed the room to her suitcase, where she grabbed a few of her things before shutting herself into the restroom.

"Ooh she's cross..." gulped Azmaria.

"Nonsense, Azzy! She's always like that. She's a weirdo because she's an Aquarius."

Chrono and Azmaria sat staring at Satella wordlessly.

"There she goes talking about how sky rocks affect us again," Chrono grumbled.

"Hey now, I like rocks!" Satella exclaimed holding up one of her jewels to reflect the lamplight into Chrono's eyes. He covered his face with his hands and sighed into them.

"Anyways you better find out what day and time you were born so that I can read your sky rocks too, Chrono."

"I don't know, and I'll never know. Why exactly do you wanna know so badly?"

"It's good for estimating compatibility hehe." Satella leaned a little closer, prompting Chrono to peek out from his hands, half annoyed and half curious. "I know why you sigh, Chrono. I know! And I know you know _exactly_ who I'm talking about when I say 'compatibility,'" she said in a low voice, grinning.

Chrono's brow dipped in annoyance, but before he could retort, Satella spoke up. "Any specific dinner requests?" She pressed herself against the restroom door to make sure Rosette could hear her over her shower and shouted, "ROSETTE?"

"I don't care!"

"I wanna go!" Azmaria scrambled to get her shoes and socks on.

"Well I take it our resident demon will eat anything up to human flesh. We'll be back! Don't get too wild while you two are alone!" Satella caught Azmaria's hand and led her off, turning to wink at Chrono, who sunk into the bed a little farther.

Rosette came out from the restroom a few minutes later changed into her pajamas. She was greeted by the sound of static from the radio and looked over to see Chrono staring at it, lost in thought.

"You know some folks say you can hear the dead via static," she joked.

Chrono looked up and moved like he was going to say something. He decided against it, stood up, and exhaled some bit about "Oh I was just thinking about stuff" before entering the restroom for his shower. Rosette shrugged it off: Chrono's occasional bouts of mysterious behavior were nothing novel. She'd accepted that their relationship entailed moments where'd she be confused, and Chrono would refuse to give answers to cure said confusion; this in particular didn't seem any different. Instead she decided to change the radio to some music before hanging up her habit and settling down to clean her guns while waiting for dinner.

In contrast to Rosette's easy demeanor, Chrono was experiencing the true turmoil of shower thoughts. "Just tell her you like her so that you can stop feeling weird about it! The worst you'll get is a no! It's not like she can run away anyways when she has a contract with you." "Ugh, what's the point of telling her! She's a _nun_ for Christ's sake! She'll be like, 'That's great, Chrono, but I'm chaste and can only love God.'" "But what if... what if she's like, 'Man fuck this whole nun thing. I like you too; let's be an item.'" "But what if she says no instead, and then everything gets super awkward where we can't look at each other straight, and we end up so focused on not being awkward that we get ourselves killed?" He was making himself cringe with all of these thoughts, and he took it out on himself by washing his hair furiously as if his scalp were made of ants.

Chrono was positive that he... dare he say it... loved her. Her pain became his; he supported and reaffirmed her goals on a daily basis; he laughed when she laughed and picked her up when she cried. In between the moments he fantasized about them being together, he cursed that he had invited her into a contract that would shorten her life and consequently reduce their time together. He wanted to be there for her always, and the thought of Rosette ever feeling alone or hopeless was keener than any blade or bullet in hurting him.

On one hand, he wanted his feelings to be known: he wanted her to know that he cared for her more than time could measure; more than any force in Heaven, Hell, or Pandemonium; more than any answer to the question, "How much?" On the other hand, he knew that she had goals that she aimed to accomplish in a very short amount of time. Where in this time would there be room for a relationship? He also considered her faith: he didn't want to imagine the fury from the church if they heard that a demon was claiming one of their sisters as his. He thought a little more about confessing his feelings and reached the conclusion of "Better not."

Satella was right: he did sigh a lot. He sighed as he exited the shower, dried off, and put his pajamas on. He sighed as he came out of the restroom, hung his clothes up, and sat down for dinner at the small table. He sighed as Rosette passed him a small container of pasta and some cutlery.

Satella glanced at Chrono sighing, at Rosette, who had stopped cleaning her guns and was now spacing out in between bites, and Azmaria, who was examining a paper cut on her hand as if it were the most interesting thing ever.

"Oh my god," Satella whispered. Everyone looked up, and Rosette inquired about what was wrong.

"We're all so young and hot, and we don't ever have time to just go out for fun or to have people admire us."

A long pause followed her statement, before Rosette spoke up. "...really?"

"Yeah really! We're all tired as hell! The west coast is still getting ready over there; we're stuck here waiting for their signal, which they're guessing is gonna take at least a week; and demons are getting antsy to knock us out knowing we've got a trip planned! To top it all off, we, a Sunday school class plus one witch, are sitting here eating pasta in a motel room when we could be out showing off how we're the bee's knees." Satella slumped into her chair, despairing about how she'd finally acquired friends but had no opportunities to flaunt them.

She stayed that way for a bit while Rosette, Chrono, and Azmaria unceremoniously resumed eating; just another one of Satella's tantrums after all. Satella's face started to light up though, and she gasped and began rummaging around in her bodice. Everyone stared at her appalled until Satella produced a folded up piece of paper. "Huuurrgh, it's wrinkly from your boob sweat," groaned Rosette. Chrono and Azmaria snorted and giggled as Satella shushed Rosette and started reading the paper to herself. She finished quickly and looked up beaming at the group.

"I know I said we're all tired as hell, and the only answer to that is to go out."

Chrono, Rosette, and Azmaria all glanced at each other, then back towards Satella. In an exasperated tone, Chrono asked, "If we're all so tired, then wouldn't it make more sense to stay in and rest?"

"No!" Satella cried. "It's one thing to be physically tired; we're the kind of tired that sleep can't cure. This is gonna sound so radical, but we need a break. And I've got just the excuse right here," she exclaimed waving the piece of paper. "I've got an acquaintance's invitation here, and she's throwing a Halloween party. Are we go-"

"It's a no go," Rosette interrupted. "Satella, that's awful nice that you'd think of taking us along, but if the church found out, it'd just be another reason for Sister Kate to roast me."

"Not... not if she doesn't find out!" Of all the people to speak up in favor of going, it was Azmaria. She had looked the most disheartened when Rosette said no, and after gathering a bit more of her courage, continued in defense of partying. "I've seen others have so much fun dressing up... It's something I've always wanted to do but wasn't given the chance. Our time together is short, so why shouldn't we let go every now and then? And anyways, Rosette, you were the one who told me that it's only bad if you get caught!"

Rosette stiffened a little and looked away deliberately. "Hehe, some sister," chuckled Satella. "Well since we're a democracy, it's down to you Chrono. Whadya say?"

Chrono shifted and hummed in thought. Satella did have a point: they really did need a break before their exhaustion caught up with them and got them killed. Azmaria wasn't wrong either: their time together wasn't much, and Chrono had heard the human expression about all work and no play.

"I guess one night won't hurt."

Rosette's head whirled around to give him an alarmed look. "I've always wanted to see how you parody the demons of Hell as opposed to the demons of Pandemonium," he said laughing a little.

"OH YES it is DECIDED!" Satella exclaimed.

Azmaria clasped her hands together and beamed. "Eee I'm so excited! This is gonna be so fun!"

"Ugh we've only got tomorrow and the day after to find costumes. The party's on Saturday!" Satella furrowed her brow a bit. "We've gotta do some thinking... but let's get some rest first. We'll worry about it first thing tomorrow morning."

* * *

Worried was an understatement for Rosette. She stood there sweating bullets, clutching the phone, and listening to the line ring while the others huddled around her, partially for moral support, partially to get to witness the damage firsthand.

"Hello, Sister Kate speaking."

Rosette almost decided to just hang up and walk away then and there, but her group squeezed in tighter around her at the sound of Sister Kate's voice, preventing her from escaping. She gave them all withering glares before starting in a voice with feigned weakness.

"Hey Sister Kate, it's Rosette. I'm sorry for the trouble, but I've not been feeling good and was hoping for some days off."

Sister Kate paused and stared at her phone in disbelief. She'd been preparing her Mother Superior Divine Hollering Voice as soon as she heard Rosette, but instead she was met with a surprisingly frail voice from the girl who seemingly never got sick.

"Oh... oh dear, well I suppose a few days off will be alright. You've been working quite a bit and haven't asked off for sickness before in any case. How long do you think you'll need?"

Rosette faltered and nearly said three days, but Satella quickly waved four fingers in her face.

"I think I'll be good by Monday. A weekend should be enough."

Sister Kate couldn't believe herself, but she felt mildly concerned for Rosette's health. "Are you sure that's enough time? Just how are you feeling?"

"Uh... uh well I've been feeling..." Seeing Rosette struggle, Satella clung to her temples and mimicked a pained face.

Rosette picked up on it and quickly stated, "A lot of pain. I've been getting lotsa headaches that make it hard to focus."

Satella leaned over hugging her stomach and pointing into her mouth, prompting Rosette to continue. "It's also been kinda hard to hold food down."

Satella handed Azmaria a cup full of water mixed with remnants of their pasta dinner from last night and whispered to Rosette, "Make a sick noise, and gimme the phone." Rosette looked around at her friends suspiciously, but she went ahead and made a little groan before handing Satella the phone as Azmaria dashed into the restroom. Leaving the door open, Azmaria started slowly dumping the contents of the cup into the toilet, while Satella held the phone up in her direction.

Rosette stood there with her mouth hanging open, appalled at the set-up her friends had thought up and the bizarre plip-plopping faux vomit noises filling the room. Chrono stood next to her, turned away and shaking with suppressed laughter, and with no one else within reach for her to express her feelings, Rosette slapped him over the top of the head. It seemed to make him shake even more from struggling to not laugh, and Rosette quickly grabbed the phone back from Satella while stammering, "I-I've gotta go, Sister Kate! I'm n-not feeling so hot."

As soon as the phone hit the receiver, the room burst into laughter. Rosette didn't think it was so funny. "You are all _the worst_."

"Alrighty then, let's get back to Manhattan, hit the costume store, and get some ideas!" Satella exclaimed, and with that the four set out for a rare day off.

* * *

"Rosette, you should wear this one called, 'Thank you, Father.'" Satella passed Rosette a pregnant nun costume, which got promptly slapped out of Satella's hands.

"You know I can't stand you sometimes."

Satella snickered, and when Chrono glanced and saw what it was, he chuckled a bit too. Rosette whirled on him. "What's so funny, Chrono?! Are we a church or a clown school?!"

He burst into laughter and held up a hand to appease her. "Calm down. I'm just imagining Sister Kate's face if you appeared in her office wearing that and declared that your nausea was actually morning sickness."

While Satella and Chrono were cracking up, Azmaria smiled timidly in confusion, unaware of morning sickness' definition. "Ah Chrono, what if you went as the Devil?" Azmaria passed him a costume, trying to change the subject to soothe Rosette.

Satella quickly snatched the package from Chrono and returned it to its shelf stating, "Don't dress up as a demon or the Devil because it'd be too much like going as yourself." She rummaged through the options, humming with thought. "What about a sailor? Or a cowboy? Or a..." here, she gasped with delight, "A ringmaster! Oh this is perfect! Oh Chrono, you're always wearing red anyways and running around with us clowns."

He chuckled a bit. "True. What are you going as, Satella?"

"You'll see! But what do you wanna be, Azzy?"

Azmaria had been walking up and down the aisles trying to decide. The most dressed-up she got was putting on her choir uniform, so she leaped at the chance to get dolled up and pointed towards the frilliest, girliest costumes.

"Oh don't be an angel, or you'll just be going as yourself." Satella instead picked up a princess costume and turned it to Azmaria. "What about one of these? Would you be alright with this?" Azmaria nodded excitedly.

Satella grinned and turned to Rosette. "And for our holy sister? Don't you dare pick up a nun costume."

Rosette shrugged and looked around. Satella pushed past her and started going through the costumes while urging, "Pick something sexy! Pretend you're not part of the church until Monday! I told you to tell Kate four days instead of three just so we could spend a day recovering from how hard we're gonna be partying, so make it worth it." Satella stopped, backing up with a package in hand. "Rated ARRR," she read. She grinned deviously and handed it to Rosette.

It was a pirate costume, the main piece of which was an unbelievably short dress-coat with no buttons from the neck to the waist, leaving a daring, plunging front. Rosette looked at it for all of 1.07 seconds and hung it back up wordlessly. "She likes it," Satella stated.

"WHAT?! I-"

"Ok let's go since we've got our ideas!" Satella started pulling Chrono and Azmaria out of the store, forcing Rosette to follow.

Azmaria looked disappointed. "We're not gonna buy anything?"

"Not from here, Azzy. I'd never let people I know get caught out in these cheap abominations. I've got a better idea!"

One phone call later, and Steiner had picked them up and returned them to Satella's house. Chrono and Rosette sat on a bench at the foot of Satella's bed, while Azmaria stood a ways off from the door of the closet peering in. Satella emerged from her closet looking triumphant and brandishing a garment bag. "How's this for princess, Azzy?"

Azmaria unzipped the bag, and a powder blue bouquet of fabric, bows, and ruffles bloomed from it. She withdrew what appeared to be a Rococo-inspired dress that was sized for a girl, its hem raised to knee-length for ease of movement. "Oooohh it's so beautiful!" Azmaria's eyes became watery with admiration as she turned to Satella. "Where did you get this?"

"It was mine. My first year in America after my parents died, I learned about Halloween and begged Steiner for a costume until he gave in to me wanting to be Marie Antoinette," she said smiling.

"The beheaded version."

They all turned to the voice to see Steiner standing in the doorway. "You did look terribly darling, and it's a sight I would've regretted missing had I not given in to your demands."

Satella smiled a little more at the memories before perking up. "Oh Steiner! Did you see the gift I got you? I had it delivered to us today."

"Yes and thank you, miss, but I've yet to hang it up. It's quite heavy, and the carriers were unscrupulous enough to just set it down inside the house and run off without offering to install it. I'll have to wait until the gardener or cook returns to ask for their help in carrying it."

"Oh I'll give you a hand," offered Chrono. He got up and followed after Steiner until they reached a large, flat, cloth-covered rectangle set on the living room floor. Chrono picked up one end and Steiner the other, and they started tediously crossing the room before stopping at the stairs. "You go first, Steiner. I can support the weight from the bottom."

Satella, Rosette, and Azmaria peered out from the bedroom to watch Chrono and Steiner slowly making their way up. "Ooh so strong," Satella whispered. "Dang, Rosette, have you ever tried carrying that gun trunk yourself?"

"I can't," Rosette answered. "It's easily at least 50 pounds. If it weren't for Chrono, then I'd have to run back and forth to the trunk if I wanted to swap weapons or ammo. The other exorcists have to do that, but knowing my grace I'd probably trip, fall, and get mauled on one of those runs. I'm lucky to have him." The three of them all smiled a bit feeling lucky to have not just Chrono but each other as well. "Oh, they've made it into Steiner's room," Azmaria pointed out.

The girls peeked into the door to see Steiner handing Chrono a hammer and some nails and pointing to small marks on his walls that indicated where they were to be placed. The phone began ringing, and Steiner excused himself to Chrono and trotted away to answer. They saw Chrono stretch up to place a nail, and when it was evident that he was too short, he sighed and lowered his arms. The girls watched him as he stood for a bit listening as if to gauge how much longer Steiner's conversation would last. A quick blur of darkness, and they saw before them an adult's back. The boyish shorts had been swapped for fitted pants, but the purple hair and red coat remained as evidence that who they saw before them was certainly Chrono. Now of a sufficient height, he moved to place the nail but was interrupted by an exclamation behind him of "A deluxe edition!"

He whirled around to see Azmaria staring, half-perplexed and half-fascinated, Satella ogling him, and Rosette grimacing at Satella. At a loss of words, all he could muster was "O-oh..."

"How come you never let him run around with us looking this hot?!" Satella motioned up and down in Chrono's direction while directing her question at Rosette.

Chrono saw Rosette's eyes light with annoyance and knowing that she was preparing fighting words, he quickly answered, "It's easier to get around as a kid. You know there'd be a lot of whispering if people saw a man going around everywhere with a nun, especially once we get back to the church. I don't think Sister Kate would appreciate seeing me in this form running around the convent..."

"Huh, but the gossip would be entertaining!" Satella ogled him for a bit longer before running off. "Hurry and hang that mirror for Steiner, Chrono. I've got an idea. Don't change back yet, although you're awful cute either way!"

He blushed a bit and, out of habit, glanced at Rosette, who had a humorously strange mixture of jealousy, fury, and belligerence pointed after Satella. He bit the insides of his cheeks to not laugh and turned to refocus on hanging the mirror. Steiner reappeared and stalled at Chrono's new appearance, but he seemed to accept it rather swiftly and instead offered to help.

Just as the mirror's installation was finished, Satella reappeared looking triumphant. "I just called and squeezed in an emergency appointment with my tailor that we can definitely make if we leave right now."

Rosette squinted. "Huh? What fo-"

"RIGHT NOW. Get in the car, kids, we're going shopping. And stay hot, Chrono, or you'll be walking."

* * *

Chrono found himself standing stiffly before a mirror with an arm outstretched as the tailor ran this way and that taking his measurements and jotting them down. His task completed, the tailor stood back and looked from Chrono to his notepad, nodding his satisfaction before facing Satella. "Ms. Harvenheit, you're really pushing it expecting a tailcoat and a vest in two days time."

Satella nodded and put on a pleading look. "I understand, but I asked you because I know you're just that good, and you've have never let me down. But... what if we sweetened the deal a bit with a down payment?" She produced a pea-sized sapphire, and the tailor's eyes followed it mesmerized.

"Oh... oh Ms. Harvenheit, how could I turn down a face like yours? It should be ready to pick up Saturday morning."

"Perfect! Remember: gold epaulettes for the red coat plus a gold vest."

The tailor nodded vigorously before politely walking them to the door while thanking them all profusely. Chrono squirmed once they exited and faced Satella. "Satella, this is too much. I mean we really appreciate all of this, but you honestly don't have to."

"What are you getting antsy for when it's not your money?" she scoffed. "A jewel that size takes but a little magic and focus spread out over a few days. Don't sweat it."

Satella led them until they reached a shoe store, whereupon they stopped to go inside. "Chrono, go pick a pair of riding boots." Satella sent him off while she, Azmaria, and Rosette went over to the opposite side to browse women's shoes. Chrono tried on a few pairs until he found his size, after which he crossed the store to look for the girls. He spotted Rosette balancing nervously on a towering pair of strappy, patent, black stilettos while glaring at Satella and Azmaria as they giggled at her. Rosette noticed Chrono and quickly sat down and took the heels off. "Let me see," said Satella as she took the box from him. "These look good. Let's check out and head home for dinner."

A quick ring in a phone booth later, Steiner appeared to pick them up. After a hearty meal and conversation that lasted much later than usual owing to the knowledge that the following day had nothing planned, Satella strategically showed them to two guest rooms rather than three. Thinking that she was smart for being able to corner Chrono and Rosette into sharing a bed alone, she was instead disappointed when Rosette followed after Azmaria, and Chrono started heading into a room by himself.

When Rosette stepped out of the bedroom a few minutes later to fetch a glass of water, Satella ran up to her whispering urgently, "Hey what do you think you're doing?! Chrono is running around in his hot edition, and you're just gonna let him be his hot self like that all alone?!"

Rosette's mouth hung slightly before irritation colored her face. "Wha... What are you on?!"

"Sis, I'm trying to help you and him _get it on_."

Satella's statement so flustered Rosette that it knocked any retort she had out of her, and all Rosette could do as she power-walked to the kitchen was continuously mutter, "Y-you weirdo, don't say weird shit like that, trying to get me kicked out of the church, trying to get Chrono dunked in holy water and killed, why would you say weird shit like that, gosh..." Even though she was avoiding eye contact, she could sense Satella looking at her and wiggling her eyebrows knowingly, and Rosette picked up her pace as best as she could with a glass of water in hand. She had to pass Chrono's door to return to her room, and she was walking so quickly while looking down to avoid Satella's gaze that she nearly crashed into him as he stepped out. Flustered and paranoid, Rosette demanded, "What are you doing?!"

Equally surprised, Chrono stammered, "I-I was just gonna get my coat! It's downstairs." Self-conscious of her bizarre behavior, Rosette mumbled something under her breath and quickly retreated into her room. Chrono looked after her strangely, and as he moved down the stairs, Satella passed him on her way up.

She turned suddenly and inquired, "Chrono, may I touch?"

Uncertain of what she was even asking, Chrono gave a shrug accompanied by a slow "sure." Before he could stop her, Satella swiftly raised up his pajama shirt to expose his abs and ran her hands over them, exclaiming in a suggestive voice, "Ahh, Chrono! So amazing!"

Rosette's head came out of her room unbelievably fast in response and hollered at Satella about cutting her weird shit out. Satella just snickered and continued on her way back to her own room, humming something along the lines of "knew it."

Baffled by what had just gone down, Chrono instead decided not to question it and retrieved his coat before returning to his room for a peaceful spell of sleep. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Rosette, for she had very _vivid_ dreams that night.

* * *

Satella waved away her friends' thanks for the meal and boarding the next morning and instead asked them what they wanted to do with the day before the party. None of them had thought much about this, so Steiner offered to drive them around town for some ideas. Seeing a haunted house that had sprung up in light of Halloween approaching, Chrono joked about how likely Rosette was to punch out one of the actors, and at the challenge, Rosette demanded the car be stopped so that the group could go through the haunted house.

Rosette and co. emerged visibly shaken, and Azmaria, paler than what she normally was, suggested that perhaps they should opt for milder activities if their intent was to relax. The friends spent the remainder of their day walking around town sightseeing, window-shopping, and dining, and although none of them would admit it, the sense of normalcy from just "hanging out" felt like a much-needed emotional cleanse. By the end of the day, their stresses had been so forgotten that they all had mental room to be fairly excited for the party, even Rosette who'd been initially wary.

They once again tucked in after chattering late into the night, and Azmaria was the last to fall asleep. She tossed and turned in the darkness, her heart brimming with eagerness for tomorrow and a tender gratitude for having her friends. Out of everyone, she slept the least that night.

* * *

There was a notable lightness in spirit during breakfast, and when Steiner returned from picking up the bespoke clothes Satella had ordered, nobody had much of an appetite anymore. Instead, they were all quite interested in seeing how the pieces had turned out. As Satella undid the garment bag, there was a collective "Ooh."

The tailcoat was a vibrant fire-engine red that flattered Chrono's olive skin, and the gold epaulettes on its shoulders highlighted his every movement. Although it was light in weight, one feel of its fabric, a wool-blend, instantly elevated it above any cheap ready-to-wear costume. The vest accompanying it was a flashy gold sateen, and Chrono, Azmaria, and Rosette stood running their hands over everything, unused to such luxuries. Satella watched her friends fondly and gently joked, "Oh you peasants. But the party's not until 6, so what should we do with all of this time?"

They all paused to think until Satella suggested that they practice high society conversation. "Don't stress," she assured. "It's not all about money and showing off; you've just gotta gauge who you can and can't have certain conversations with via small talk. Of course don't mention anything that might suggest you guys are from a church."

With Satella's guidance, they all tried practicing "high society" small talk on one another, but it was hard to take anything seriously, and soon they were rolling around laughing, joking and talking about everything and nothing. After a while of this, Azmaria murmured that she wanted a nap, whereupon the rest of the group agreed that a collective nap would be ideal, since they were likely to be out late that night. They exited Satella's room, and as Azmaria and Rosette moved neared theirs, they noticed that Steiner was inside it with workers preparing the room to be painted.

Seeing them approach, Steiner quickly hurried forward. "Oh I'm so sorry for not telling you earlier. This was the only free day the painters had this week, but fear not. I've packed your things up here, and Miss Satella has offered her room to Miss Azmaria to share. She said that she's quite sure that Sister Rosette is use to sharing quarters with Mr. Chrono, so I hope that it won't be too much trouble."

Rosette's head snapped to glare at Satella, but Satella made like her nails were of particular importance to look at in that moment and retreated into her room calling for Azmaria. Rosette huffed, "I'm not tired anyways. Probably don't need a nap after all!"

"Probably do, or you'll get cranky," said Chrono as he walked around her and into his room.

"Yeah, Rosette!" Satella stuck her head out from her room. "Wouldn't wanna become a wet blanket at the party now, would we?" Satella dropped her voice out of Chrono's earshot and whispered, "What's the matter? Shy to share a bed with Chrono all of a sudden? Wonder why..."

Never one to back down from a challenge, Rosette moved quickly into the room Chrono was in to prove that she DEFINITELY was NOT SHY around Chrono. She was just... unused to seeing him like this! Yeah, that was it! What if your companion just suddenly showed up one day unbearably hot on top of his kind, supportive, and gentle personality?! Why you'd be flustered too!

This was her logic, and it was holding up well until she was actually inside the room and saw Chrono standing there in his boxers as he unbuttoned the dress shirt he always wore underneath his coat. He glanced up at her and nonchalantly turned so that his back was facing her for modesty's sake. How... how dare he be so cool through all of this?! Rosette stood there convincing herself that she'd seen Chrono strip down to a tank top and boxers at least a hundred times before and that this was no different. But it was different... he no longer looked like a child, and every movement he made was now so captivating: from how he draped his shirt over the chair, to how he crawled into bed and got settled, to how he opened his eyes to give Rosette a weird look while asking her why'd she been standing there this whole time... wait that last part wasn't captivating.

Rosette felt her face flush and quickly feigned indifference while making an excuse about how she'd thought she'd heard Satella saying something, so that was why she'd remained by the door. Chrono didn't question her and instead moved a bit to make room for her on the bed and rolled onto his side to face away from her. Rosette kept an eye on him as she pulled off her habit until she was in just her camisole and bloomers and eased into the bed cautiously. Maybe this didn't mean anything to Chrono, but in Rosette's mind, laying here like this was of extreme significance! "Oh god, I'm sharing the same bed as a guy!" She struggled to maintain pure thoughts, but some force in her mind compelled her to turn and chance a peek at him.

It wasn't a sight to be regretted: his shoulders were broad and shapely, his biceps hinted at his strength, and what could be seen of his back was well-muscled and begging to be snuggled into. Rosette decided that it was a very fitting time to pray.

Chrono, who was trying to fall asleep, heard Rosette muttering... prayers? Over a nap?! He turned slightly and inquired, "What are you d-"

"Just wanna feel close to Jesus."

He didn't even know how to begin to respond to that and opted to slowly turn back to his original position while accepting that confusion and entropy was an inevitable part of life, especially one that included Rosette.

Sleep did eventually claim both of them, and a polite knock on the door from Steiner awoke them a short while later. Rosette didn't want to get up for how soft and comfortable everything felt. She was laying on her side with her face smushed into a cozy surface, and as she moved from the limbo of sleepiness and wakefulness to the world of consciousness, it dawned on her that said cozy surface was warm and moving as if it breathed.

She came to and realized that she was pressed against Chrono's back practically spooning him. Her instincts screamed for her to jump back, but she forced herself to roll away slowly, hoping that Chrono would think that she'd just _accidentally_ moved into him like that because she was still asleep. Rosette laid there praying that he was still sleeping and listened to his breathing to try and determine if he was. A wave of embarrassment washed over and dashed her hopes when she saw his hand come up to move some hair out of his face. She continued laying there silently, but her thoughts were a storm. "Oh god he saw me like that! What's he thinking?! Did I drool on his back?!"

Rosette's frantic thoughts raced even more quickly as Chrono got out of bed to start pulling his pants on, and she tried to read his expression as soon as she could see his face. It was actually its usual tranquil self, and before Rosette had a chance to think too hard about what to say, a knock on the door interrupted her.

Without waiting for an answer, Satella opened the door and stuck her head in to survey the scene. Chrono saw her give Rosette a strange knowing smile that seemed to make Rosette fidget before ending her torture by opening up the door entirely to enter and to hand him a garment bag. Satella reminded him to not forget his boots as she grabbed Rosette by the arm and dragged her out of the bed and the room.

Rosette made small protests about being dragged off in her underwear until her eyes fell on Azmaria standing in Satella's room all dolled up. Azmaria had clearly woken up earlier than Chrono and Rosette: in that time, Satella had pulled Azmaria's hair into an updo and set a silvery-blue lace crown upon her head. A matching pleated ribbon choker in powder blue adorned her neck, and one sneaky trip back to the convent later, her usual tights and dress shoes completed the look. She twirled around admiring how her petticoats and skirt fluffed out and looked up at Rosette beaming.

Satella nudged Rosette and handed her something while urging her to put it on, and Rosette eventually found herself in a short, off-the-shoulder, cream-colored dress topped by a black, underbust bodice that laced in the front. "...This is kinda short," Rosette noted tugging at the hem.

Satella clasped her hands together in delight. "Perfect, except you should swap your bloomers to something that the dress won't catch on. Oh also, here, you can borrow my boots since we're the same size."

Rosette instead began to pull on a garter that doubled as a holster. Noticing Azmaria and Satella staring, she stated, "Better safe than sorry," before pulling on the knee-high boots. Satella handed her a scarf to tie around her head, and with Rosette's pirate set-up complete, Satella stood back to admire her work and her own ingenuity for putting together what was essentially a closet-costume. After helping Rosette a little with her makeup, Satella shooed them out so that she could change.

Rosette made a quick trip back to her room to swap her bloomers for something more minimal and to grab a gun for her holster before making her way with Azmaria towards the stairs, where they spotted Chrono sitting below in the living room. He had finished changing long before they had, and in that time, Steiner had appeared and handed him a top hat with gloves folded up neatly inside. He hadn't put them on yet and instead sat gazing at the setting sun. At the sound of people approaching, he looked up and saw Azmaria and Rosette heading towards him.

"Oh, you both look great!" he said, but he'd be lying if he denied that he didn't eyeball for a fraction of a second longer the real estate of bare skin from Rosette's knees up to her thighs, only stopped by the hem of her dress that was nearly up to the waterline. He quickly banished these thoughts because Azmaria's presence made him feel weird thinking about these sort of things, and the three of them sat around chattering until Satella emerged.

She wore a black, floor-length evening gown with three-quarter sleeves and a neckline that plunged in a V to just above her navel. A large, ornate witch hat with a strip of twinkling chiffon wrapped around its base and trailing off the brim was set on her head, giving her witchy look more of an elegant than playful air. "How do I look?"

Rosette jumped up and motioned up and down at Satella rapidly. "Huh?! 'Don't dress as yourself,' she said, and now here's the witch dressed as a witch."

"Aw, I couldn't resist! I never get a chance to wear my mom's hat." Satella ran her hand along the brim fondly. "My sister and I'd been admiring it since we were very small. Chrono, where's your hat? If you mess it up, I'll mess you up. That was my father's."

Chrono carefully set the top hat on his head and slipped the gloves on. Satella and Rosette made a small show of fussing over this and that: Satella straightening out Azmaria's skirt, and Rosette picking lint off of Chrono's coat (and mentally admiring how black riding boots in conjunction with black pants made his legs appear to go on for days) before Steiner gently reminded them of the time. A bit of panicked commotion later, they were off.

* * *

Red, black, even, odd; the little ball raced around its course, taking with it hopes, dreams, and dollars. In a hotel that had been converted into a party venue for the night, Rosette watched the roulette table anxiously, her grip tightening on Chrono's forearm as the ball slowed. Always a risk taker, she'd bet on a split: two adjacent numbers because her bizarre logic had convinced her that the chances were just so much better than a straight up bet on only one number. Chrono sighed, "Rosette, I don't think gambling is such a good idea..."

"Oohh please, Holy Father, please let me have just this one thing!"

"How could you ask for something like this?! Ack, I don't know why you bet so much on only two numbers out of 38! You know our luck is no luck."

"I bet on the numbers from my favorite Bible verse, Deuteronomy 32:35."

"...unbelievable."

Its momentum exhausted, the ball settled into the wheel, and Rosette jumped and gave a little scream. 35. She shook Chrono's arm excitedly and babbled something much too quickly for him to understand before running forward to collect her payout. The guests around the table who had been chatting with Chrono (for Rosette had spent far too long trying to win at the roulette table) congratulated him, one of the statements being "You and your girl'll eat for a while!"

He opened his mouth to correct it, reconsidered, and just smiled at Rosette, who returned to him with a triumphant look on her face and a cupful of chips. A voice interrupted them exclaiming, "Oh I've been looking for you two!"

Satella approached them, saw Rosette's winnings, and clapped her on the back while vigorously congratulating her. "Hehe, but how much did you lose before that?" Rosette shrugged and tittered a bit, and Satella, waving the issue away, started to pull Rosette and Chrono along until they were inside one of the hotel's conference rooms that had been converted into a sitting room for the party. A few other guests were scattered around the room chatting and drinking, and the source of the alcohol became apparent when Satella unfolded a desk in the corner that had been concealing the drinks. She returned with a bottle and handed them glasses before setting herself down and inquiring, "So how are you liking the party?"

"I feel like we're breaking a lot of laws," Chrono commented before taking a small sip.

Satella laughed. "Oh that's fresh coming from Chrono _the Sinner_. Since we've knocked out gambling and drinking, we might as well rob a bank tonight too."

Rosette, now aware of her threshold between fun drunk and disaster drunk (no thanks to an incident at Satella's), drained her glass before enthusiastically answering, "This is swell!" Satella and Chrono turned to her, surprised; Rosette had been the one most resistant to coming after all. "It just makes me feel like a normal girl, you know. Out late and partying instead of being tied to work and the Bible. I just wish..."

Seeing Rosette's face starting to tense, Satella quickly poured her another glass and comforted her. "Hey now, there's not one of us that can change the past, and it's not like we could've seen the distant future of our choices back then. Right now's all we've got! Speaking of the now, you should've seen Azmaria's face when the other kids invited her to their game. Ugh, could've ODed on that cuteness." Satella launched into regaling them with stories about the creeps she'd run into, funny details about certain guests, and recent gossip that she'd heard.

The drinks flowed freely, and Rosette's mood picked up in response to Satella's treatment. Eventually, the two of them had dropped to giggling and whispers, leaving Chrono a bit perplexed as to what they were so furtively discussing. "If you two are gonna have hush-hush girl-talk, then I'm gonna step outside for some air," he said as he rose.

The night was crisp and provided a refreshing contrast to the still, smoky atmosphere inside the hotel. Chrono exhaled and rested his elbows on the railing, gazing at the twinkling lights of Manhattan sprawled below. He thought about how much Rosette would've enjoyed this sight, how he loved that she was so in love with life, and how fortunate and misfortunate they were to be alive at the same time. For several minutes, he let his thoughts consume him and the night wrap around him until a voice pulled him out of his daze. "Chrono, it's k-kinda cold out here."

He turned to see Rosette crossing the roof towards him and gently joked, "Oh you're able to walk this time. We weren't so lucky last time you got drunk."

"Pfft, don't make it sound like I don't learn. I'm never getting that shitfaced again."

He watched her hugging herself and shivering slightly from the night breeze. "Here, take my coat if you're cold."

"I'll be fine. If you take it off, then you'll be cold."

"No I won't. You're wearing less than me. Here, take it."

"No! I don't trust myself with it. What if I fall down or throw up on it and get it dirty? Satella'll bump me off so fast."

Chrono looked at her like she was crazy, and against her protests, he took his coat off and draped it around her shoulders. Rosette groaned, "Chrooonooo, you never listen to me!"

He snorted. "More like you never listen to me."

Rosette huffed in response, but her expression softened as she admired the city below. "Gosh, it's so beautiful... do you ever think about how when you die, these beautiful things... cities, stars, lives; they just keep going on without you? All the bonds you formed and your tribulations just vanish. Like you were never even alive in the first place. I dunno; sometimes it makes you feel so small knowing that your time can run out, but the clock doesn't stop. Makes you wonder about your place in the grand scheme of things and why being alive is such a big deal." She turned her face towards the heavens as if the answer might appear.

Chrono gazed at her solemn face and looked to the lights below. "You know being alive isn't a big deal to demons. We could easily live forever given we don't get in any accidents, but Pandemonium makes us and takes us as she needs. There are demons centuries old, and there are demons that lived but for an hour. We don't worry about dying, not like humans do at least. Probably also why demons don't understand the human fear of running out of time. But for you Rosette, it's different... you make me scared to live borrowing your time. You make me wish that humans weren't so obsessed about having to play some sort of role in some imaginary grand scheme, that you could just live and die happy knowing that you did your best."

"But I feel like I haven't done my best yet."

"Yet!" he emphasized. "How do I explain it... you'll never know if your whole life was your best effort until you've lived all of it. So you won't be able to grade your life until you're on the verge of death. But who in their right mind looks forward to death as a way to check their self? Rosette, we've only got the now, and right now to me, you're..." He stopped, suddenly keenly aware of how close he had come to putting his feelings into words.

"I'm...?" Rosette stared at him, her eyes wide. Self-conscious of how serious he'd gotten, he looked her straight in the eyes and dead-panned, "Pretty ok."

"JUST OK?!"

Her sudden movement made her wobble on her heels, and she grabbed onto Chrono for support as he reached out for her instinctively. "You're so easy to rile up," he chuckled.

"Who's easy to rile up?!" she huffed before pressing herself against him. Surprised, Chrono stood a bit awkwardly, eventually relaxing to wrap his arms around her and rest his chin on her head. "The world's so big," she murmured, turning her head to face the lights below. "But you know how to make it feel like we've got a place where we belong in it."

"We do: I by your side, and you-"

"By yours," she finished, moving up to press her lips softly to his. He recoiled, startled, and his movement surprised Rosette who leaned back. She started to apologize sheepishly, but Chrono's expression softened, and although he seldom interrupted Rosette, he pulled her back in for another kiss, silencing her.

An unspoken wave of relief washed over both of them now that this thing that neither had been willing to acknowledge previously had surfaced. It felt so good to finally give in and have one less secret to bear. Rosette's heart raced with the novel feeling of her first kiss and the desire for more pushed her to learn quickly. As their kiss deepened, she returned all of Chrono's movements with an almost violent enthusiasm and couldn't stop herself from running her hands over his arms, shoulders, and chest, stopping to rest on his jaw. Chrono's hand came up to rest over Rosette's on his face, and he broke their kiss to press one into her palm while taking the chance to peek at her expression. Encouraged by her flushed, wondering face, he leaned in again, pushing the coat he had draped on her aside to press a kiss to her bare shoulder underneath. He slowly moved up, skipping over her bodice strap to press his mouth into the junction of her neck and shoulder while pulling her so that she was flush against him.

Rosette was thankful for Chrono's firm embrace because she was getting weak at the knees. She clung onto him, but his mouth on her throat was too much to bear, and she blurted, "Let's go somewhere else."

He leaned back, trying to collect his racing thoughts. "You're not worried we're moving too fast?"

Rosette snorted softly and touched the watch hanging from her neck. "With how long I've got, there's no choice but to move fast."

Chrono sighed and stepped back from her, looking around the roof where they stood. He stopped when he noticed a room perched slightly out of sight around the corner: the rooftop suite. He began heading towards it while pulling Rosette along behind him. Although she felt her nerves tingling slightly (she, _a nun_ , was about to get it on for the first time, with _a demon_ of all things... wow!), a sneaky sense of excitement goaded her forward, and she stood alongside Chrono as they stared at the door in front of them trying to figure out how to enter.

"No door is gonna stop me from dancing with a devil in the pale moonlight," Rosette muttered as she withdrew two bobby pins holding her scarf in place and dropped to her knees to pick the lock. Within a minute, she had the door open, and they walked in to find a spacious, opulent living room. Rosette stood with her mouth agape looking all around the room; beyond Satella's house, she'd never seen such luxury, and this suite with its wood panels and jacquard sofas reminded her just how modest her existence at the convent truly was. She turned to make a comment to Chrono but stopped when she remembered why they were here.

He was looking around and also admiring the room when Rosette pulled him down into another kiss, and when she felt his hands gently gripping the back of her thighs and lifting, she let him pick her up, wrapping her legs around him. Chrono carried her through the living room and towards the bedroom at the back, fumbling with the French doors a bit until they gave way. He set Rosette on the bed, carefully removed his gloves and hat to set aside, then returned to kissing her for a while longer before giving her a light push to encourage her to lie down while moving on top of her.

Rosette sighed in pleasure at Chrono's weight on her and his mouth moving from her lips to her throat and shoulders and then back to her lips. He went slowly, pausing over Rosette's skin here and there to kiss, nibble, and suck and making a stop at her mouth occasionally to slip a tongue inside. Rosette ran her hands through his hair and over his shoulders digging her nails in slightly when his wandering hands gave one of her breasts a small squeeze.

At her response, he leaned back and quickly started undoing the lacing at the front of her bodice until it opened, whereupon he hooked his fingers into the front of the dress to tug it down. Feeling the elastic stretch, Rosette quickly caught his wrist to stop him as she wiggled out from beneath him and into a sitting position. "Satella'll bump me if I ruin her clothes." Rosette carefully slipped the coat Chrono had draped on her and the bodice off, setting both aside before pulling the dress over her head, removing her holster, and kicking her boots off. Chrono reached out and pressed his hands into the sides of her breasts before slipping his fingers under the bandeau and removing it also.

Rosette felt a little timid sitting before him in nothing but panties. "Why am I so undressed? What's with all your clothes?" she huffed, making Chrono laugh.

"Are you feeling awkward all of a sudden? Do you want me to turn back into a boy?"

"NO! Oh gosh that'd be so weird!"

She reached out for his vest and started fumbling with the buttons until Chrono gently removed her hands to do it himself. He turned to sit on the edge of the bed to pull his boots off and could feel Rosette's eyes nearly burning a hole in his back. Peeking over his shoulder, he caught her staring at him shamelessly, and now it was his turn to feel timid. "W-what?" he stammered at the intensity of her gaze.

"Just admiring the view."

He stood up once his boots were removed and faced her, hoping that it would discourage her staring, but blue eyes followed his every move and watched as he draped his vest over a chair. He sighed knowing that Rosette wouldn't relent and began unbuttoning his shirt while tugging it out from being tucked into his pants (one of the most spectacular sights ever, if Rosette did say so herself).

Rosette's eyes continued to drink up all of his motions greedily: the wonderful reveal as the last button came undone, the shirt sliding off his statuesque shoulders, the slight blush creeping across his cheeks induced by her staring. He exhaled, trying to relieve his nerves and began moving towards her, but she leaned back out of his reach and half-whispered, half-commanded, "Pants."

He stepped back and began undoing the button and fly. In an attempt to go along with how he was being treated as a spectacle, he surprised Rosette by looking up suddenly with smoldering bedroom eyes as he lowered his pants to the floor seductively, earning a slight jaw drop from Rosette. Chrono couldn't contain himself for how ridiculous he felt and burst into laughter. "God, your face! Did you enjoy the show?"

"Hmph! I was, but I think I'd enjoy it more if you got over here."

Chrono took it as a cue to move in again and locked lips with her while pressing her gently back into the mattress. There was so much more real estate available now, and he explored her throat, shoulders, and chest before tentatively pressing a kiss to the top of her breast and giving the opposite one a squeeze. Rosette's squirming and sighs encouraged him, and he ran a tongue over the nipple before fastening his mouth to it. His hand stroked and massaged her other breast while his mouth tended to its twin, and hearing Rosette's breathing growing agitated, he moved to lavish the opposite breast with lips, tongue, and teeth. Rosette alternated running her fingers through Chrono's hair, clinging to his shoulders, and wrapping her arms around him to pull him closer but when she felt his head slip through her hands to start moving south, a slight worry started gnawing at her. His feathery kisses down her belly and small bites at her hips temporarily distracted her, but when he pressed his mouth onto her clothed mound for a prolonged kiss, the worried thoughts returned. "What if he thinks I'm gross down there?"

Rosette was interrupted by a sudden airiness as Chrono swiftly tugged her panties down. She flinched and slightly pulled her legs up instinctively in defense, but he instead just used that as a chance to pull the garment down and off entirely. Seeing him begin to lean forward, Rosette quavered, "Chrono, you don't have to."

"Oh but I want to," he breathed as he pushed her legs apart. Rosette glanced down as Chrono pressed kisses into the inside of her thigh, and all she could do was hope that he didn't think she looked too weird.

Her fears were dispelled as soon as he pressed his lips to her slit. His kisses began gently than grew in pressure, eventually evolving into his tongue moving to separate the lips. He ran his tongue up and down through her layers before beginning to press it inside of her, earning some sounds from Rosette. The soft silkiness pushing in and out of her made her squirm in delight, and to temper her increasing agitation, he finally moved on to her clit by flicking his tongue over it.

Rosette cried out, and it was all Chrono needed to press his whole mouth against her. His tongue rubbed firm circles over her pearl, and he moved to slip one finger, then another inside of her. Rosette felt her mind going blank: his mouth on her clit and his fingers sliding in and out of her simultaneously made it feel as if time and sound had stopped so that there was only feeling. She clutched at the sheets as his licks turned to sucking, and all speech left her. All she could muster were cries, moans, and gasps of his name, and she let her pleasure manifest as trembles that escalated with the heat building up inside of her.

Her orgasm seared every nerve in her body, and Chrono knew he did well when her hips rose off of the bed accompanied by a cry. He continued his treatment for just a while longer before finally removing his mouth and fingers, leaving Rosette to lay there shuddering and trying to catch her breath. He spared her but a few seconds before moving up to once again kiss her breasts and throat while deliberately avoiding touching her now hypersensitive area.

As they locked lips once more, Rosette could feel a very firm _something_ pressing against her, and she reached down between their bodies to grab it. She earned a groan from Chrono and, emboldened by this, she began pushing at the waistband of his boxers. He got up and removed them, and the resulting sight flattered Rosette a bit because he was _so very_ _hard_.

Chrono moved back on top to kiss her more, but it had become very difficult to do so for a prolonged time. Her hand rubbed up and down his length, fascinated by this new sensation, and it made Chrono pause often to hum in pleasure. Not wanting her to come down too far from the high of her orgasm, he moved to line himself up, and Rosette tensed slightly in response when she felt something blunt nudging her down there. Chrono nuzzled her jaw gently to try and soothe her, murmuring, "You've gotta relax."

He eased in slowly, but Rosette couldn't resist trying to move slightly back and away from this new and foreign ache. Small, pained noises escaped from her, and Chrono moved to rest his forearms by her head, trapping Rosette underneath him. He took his time pressing forward while applying soft kisses along the side of her face, and when it felt as if he had penetrated her as deeply as possible, he pulled back slightly before pushing in again.

His thrusts were initially slow and deep. Rosette forced herself to relax and willed herself to stop clenching her muscles so tightly, and when she did, she found Chrono's rocking became a lot more pleasant. But she didn't want just pleasant; she wanted mind-blowing, toe-curling, and scream-inducing. Fortunately for her, Chrono wasn't dumb or unskilled: it was intentional that he had barely given her a break after his earlier oral treatment, and he knew that her nerves were still just the slightest bit raw from her previous climax. He was aware that timing was essential in carrying the electricity from one act over to another, and he picked up his pace slightly when he sensed that Rosette was beginning to overcome her initial pains.

Rosette initially held on to Chrono's arms gently, then she graduated to gripping his shoulders, which finally evolved into her wrapping her arms around him and digging her nails in as his movements increased in speed and force. Her nerves had been smoldering since her previous orgasm, and Chrono's pounding was fanning them back into an overwhelming flame. It had become so hard to put together legible thoughts, and all she could do was pant, gasp, or moan. The only words she could summon were curses or Chrono's name, and they in combination with Chrono's movements made Rosette begin to tremble and tighten.

It was beyond mind-blowing, toe-curling, or scream-inducing; Rosette saw white. "This is heaven," she thought, but it instead came out of her mouth as an ecstatic cry of Chrono's name. She writhed underneath him in euphoria as her orgasm bloomed, and the resulting spasms and clenching of her walls carried Chrono to his own climax barely a minute later.

Exhausted but pleased, he stayed inside of her for a bit before finally willing himself to separate from her. They laid there dreamily for a while, shoulder to shoulder, until Rosette rolled to face Chrono. "That's some monstrous endurance."

He gave a small smile at her compliment as she continued excitedly, "So that's what they mean when they say multiple Os!"

Chrono let out a laugh in surprise. "And who are 'they?' Where'd you learn about such a thing while living in a convent all this time?"

"Our convent isn't cloistered," Rosette answered. "I mean look at us for example: we're out and about all the time. Even though we're not supposed to, sometimes I like to leaf through the women's magazines and read a thing or too. And sometimes, Satella-"

"Satella?!" he interrupted. "What exactly were you two whispering about earlier when we were drinking with her?"

"Oh just... girly things." Rosette playfully smiled and snuggled into him more closely. "Like she said..."

Rosette trailed off and looked at Chrono with a strange expression and her mouth slightly open. "Holy... did you unload inside of me...?"

Chrono seemed unfazed. "Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Chrono, how could you?!" she cried sitting up, "I'll get-"

She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence and sat looking around gloomily. "They'll throw me out of the convent..."

She felt her dread begin to flare into anger when Chrono laughed. He shook his head at Rosette. "Rosette, they're more likely to throw you out for your gambling or drinking. What're you worried about? I _can't_ impregnate you."

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Sometimes I forget you're a demon until you try to fool me."

"Why would I lie to you about this?! If you're homeless, then I'm homeless too!"

"But there are stories! Stories of demons and humans producing terrible offspring. One of the girls over at the Sisters of Charity had a run-in with an incubus a while back and is now super pregnant. It's just that nobody sees because they've kept her hidden for it."

"Sounds like a run-in with a secret lover if you ask me," Chrono scoffed. Seeing how Rosette remained uneasy, Chrono sighed and rolled to face her. "Rosette, think about it. If it was an incubus, then where do you think he came from?"

"Hell?"

"Right, and where am I from?"

"Pandemonium."

"Right, so unlike the demons of Hell, our lives have nothing to do with humans unless we choose to initiate contact."

"You guys sound like aliens..."

Chrono looked at her strangely but continued, "I was gonna say that in Pandemonium, we're practically identical to ant or bee colonies: we've a queen who makes all of us, so everyone's sterile except for her."

"Then why do you have-" she motioned to his lower half covered by the blanket. "Or why do some of the female demons we see have boobs?!"

Chrono laughed a bit imagining the fallout from going up to Rizelle or Shader and asking them why they had boobs. "Back when I was in Pandemonium, I'd heard that it's because the replacements for our queen switched from being demonic to human vessels. Makes sense considering how newer demons, myself and the other Sinners for example, look relatively human as opposed to some of the older demons."

"Huh?! Like they abduct people to turn into your queen? You guys really do sound like aliens."

He shrugged in response. "It wasn't ever something I really concerned myself with. I'd heard rumors in passing about our origins, but I never investigated them. Say, this is the weirdest pillow talk ever..."

Rosette laid back down and seemed content. "Well if it means that everything'll work out ok, then I don't care how weird it is."

They laid there pressed together savoring the feeling of their bare skin against one another and let the moment settle and grow into much longer than a moment. Chrono eventually reawakened time by sitting up to look at the clock. "We've been here for a while. We should get back to the party. Oh god, what if the party's already ended, or Satella's looking for us?"

He quickly rolled out of bed and strode into the bathroom to clean himself up, and Rosette reluctantly sat up and stretched. Chrono returned to the bedroom to start getting dressed and was amused when he saw Rosette sitting there languidly rubbing a mark he'd left on her breast. "Rosette, _come on_. What if people start getting ideas from how long we've been gone, or we get busted for breaking in?"

"Uuugghhh it feels like too much to go back to the convent now!"

Nonetheless, she managed to tidy herself up in the bathroom swiftly before returning to the bedroom to get dressed. When they were both done, Rosette gave herself a once-over in the mirror and, pleased that Chrono was considerate enough to not leave visible marks, followed him out of the room. She looked back once at the rumpled sheets and regretted that they had to leave what felt like a small world just for them.

The remainder of the party went by uneventfully but blissfully. Everything felt lighter now, as if the thread of tension had been snipped and their feelings had been set free. Of course Rosette and Chrono weren't entirely free: there was no touching, kissing, or flirting where anyone could see. Still, they cherished what they had and made do by passing the night with small looks and innocuous touches.

Satella was spotted as she came down the stairs; she was engaged in a vigorous conversation with a socialite who alternated nodding expressively and guffawing. They noticed that Satella held onto the handrails very tightly, and a wobble that tipped her hat forward was observed when she reached the ground floor. Rosette grimaced and nudged Chrono, pointing in Satella's direction. "Girl's spifflicated past reason. We better go get her."

When she saw them coming, Satella gave them a sleepy smile. Rosette steadied her with a hand before saying, "It's late, Satella. Where's Azmaria?"

"Oh! Last I saw 'em, a maid had taken her and the other kids to one of the ballrooms upstairs to play."

Chrono volunteered to go get her, and Rosette set Satella in a chair before running off to find a phone. Soon the four were reunited, and Steiner, ever patient, arrived to collect them and deliver them home into the haven called bed.

* * *

Rosette had never missed Sunday services since becoming a nun, but that morning they all slept easily until noon. She woke up smushed against Chrono's back just as she had once found herself before, except this time, there was no awkwardness or panic. Instead, she slipped a hand under his shirt to run over his abs, and he moved slightly to indicate that he was awake.

Driven by willpower and hunger, all four were eventually able to arrive at the table for lunch. As they took turns recalling highlights of last night, Rosette gently bumped her knee against Chrono's leg under the table, and he gave a light bump in response. They both felt a warm flutter inside of themselves at the knowledge that they'd exchanged keeping secrets from each other for keeping a secret together.

After their meal, they returned their things to Satella and spent the day in luxury: napping before heading out for a bit of strolling around town followed by dinner at a moderately ritzy restaurant. Satella raised her glass in a toast, and they all followed suit. "To us. We were so hot last night; let's hope we stay hot until all our goals are before us."

* * *

Never before had a Monday morning been cursed more. They'd packed their things and thanked Satella profusely, and a swift blur of darkness later, Chrono's appearance returned to that of a boy. Rosette could barely hide her disappointment, and Chrono gave her a reassuring smile to try and cheer her up. They bid their farewells to Satella, and Steiner gathered them into the car and returned them to the Magdalene Order.

Rosette almost wanted to laugh at the contrast as she got readjusted to convent life: sermons, prayers, and exorcisms seemed so mild compared to her wild night of sex, gambling, and drinking. She quietly wondered if she was wasting her youth and if that night had been a dream until Chrono would nudge her gently or bump her deliberately and snap her back to reality. Sometimes she'd glance at Chrono's mouth, and her heart would race with the knowledge of how good he was with it. Sometimes she'd look at his hands and wish that he'd turn into an adult to press them into her. Rosette felt wasteful: here she was with a limited amount of time, and there he was with so much skill not being put to use.

She aimed to solve this by waiting until night when everyone was asleep to sneak over to Chrono's room all the way on the opposite side of the building from the nuns' quarters. Its distance and the fact that it had originally been a storage room was a direct product of Sister Kate's initial distrust of Chrono, but Rosette was now grateful that he was in a fairly isolated spot. She got to his door, knocked on it softly, and pressed her ear to it. There was a pause and then the rustle of him shifting in bed followed by a soft, sleepy "Yes?"

Rosette quickly let herself in and shut the door behind her quietly as Chrono remained laying and blinking drowsily. She turned his bedside light on and looked at his small frame curled up under the sheets before murmuring, "I can't sleep."

He sat up to stretch and feigned innocence. "Why? Excited for San Francisco?"

She sat down on his bed and pouted. "Don't play dumb, Chrono! Excited for something else..."

A blur of darkness not longer than a second was all it took for the shapely shoulders, tall frame, and handsome face to return. Rosette's eyes were wide with adoration and anticipation as Chrono looked up into them and gave a small smile. "Oh? I wonder what it is."


End file.
